Published: October 2025
Is it really the bootstrapped solo founder season now?
Actually, yes.
More people are going solo than ever. According to Carta, around 35% of startups had just one founder in 2024. And that’s up from 29.6% in 2021.
However, going solo is still harder when it comes to raising money. Only 17% of those solo-led companies closed a VC round the same year.
So, what does that tell us? A solo founder path is open in 2025, but the bar is higher. Investors want traction, clarity, and proof that you can build leverage around yourself.
That’s what this guide is for: to tell you about the meaning of a solo founder, the pros & cons of this path, how to become one, and when it’s smart to find a cofounder.
Let’s dive in!
What is a solo founder?
A solo founder means starting a venture-scale company alone.
When some people hear “solo founder,” they often imagine someone who couldn’t find a cofounder. In reality, it’s usually the opposite: a clear, intentional choice to move fast and keep control.
Let’s make one more thing clear: this isn’t a solopreneur story. Solopreneurs typically build businesses that are designed to stay small, such as consultancies, coaching, and one-person product shops. Solo founders are different. You’re building something that can scale. You might be the only one at the helm today, but the goal is a company that grows beyond you.
Investors know this distinction, too. When they ask, “Why are you alone?” they’re not doubting your competence; they’re assessing your plan for leverage. Your job is to show that while you’re the only founder, you’re not building alone. Advisors, contractors, fractional execs, a sharp legal and finance setup – these are the signs of someone serious.
Why go solo?
Starting solo isn’t easier. But it may be simpler, at least at the beginning. And if you do it right, it can be faster. Here’s why:
➡️ You stay close to your vision. You don’t need to negotiate every move. You just pick the wedge, ship something small, and iterate quickly.
➡️ You move faster. There’s no one to check with before changing course. If something’s not working, you can pivot tonight, not next week.
➡️ You own it. Everything that goes right or wrong comes back to you. Of course, that pressure isn’t always fun, but it can push you to be sharper, faster, and more focused.
➡️ You’re more flexible. Strategy, cadence, hiring – all of it adjusts when you say so. If a new customer segment or adjacent trend shows up, you can move now, so you avoid endless internal debates and bottlenecks.
However, not everything is so rosy. Investors do sometimes hesitate with solo teams, especially at the pre-seed stage. For instance, Y Combinator accepts solo founders, but they highly recommend getting a cofounder, as it’s easier to succeed.
But that doesn’t mean you should add a cofounder just to tick a box. It means you’ll need to show real leverage: early traction, tight ops, and proof that you’re not building in isolation.
And don’t forget that in 2025, you can use various tools to help you. So, nowadays, the solo path isn’t about doing everything alone; it’s about being more deliberate.
Pros & cons of being a solo entrepreneur
| Pros | Cons |
| You can move fast | Everything depends on you |
| You own the vision | You have a limited bandwidth to handle every function |
| You have a clean and simple [cap table](/blog/best-cap-table-management-software/) | Some investors hesitate with solo founders |
| It’s easier to stay focused early on | It’s harder to build trust with enterprise buyers |
So, if you decide to take a solo founder path, you can get speed, clarity, and control. However, you’ll also need to work harder to fill the gaps a cofounder might have covered. Of course, this is completely doable. If you understand what’s missing and build the right support around you, there’s no reason you can’t move fast and build something real.
How to become a solo founder
Here’s what experienced solo founders say helps most when you’re doing your business on your own:
Step 1: Get your foundation right (legal, finance, setup)
Start here. We know it’s tempting to delay the basics and think about them later, but early mistakes in structure always come back later during fundraising, hiring, or exits.
That’s why, try to find a startup-savvy lawyer and accountant – people who’ve seen dozens of SAFEs, cap tables, and equity plans. Not someone who’s doing this for the first time.
And treat them like part of your inner circle. You can also use tools like Pulley, Clerky, Stripe, or Atlas, but make sure you actually understand your documents.
Step 2: Build your small, trusted circle
You’re alone on paper, but that doesn’t mean you need to build in isolation. Two or three trusted investor-friends or operator-angels go a long way. These aren’t “big names for the deck”; they’re people who call out weak points in your plan, sanity-check your pricing and funnel, and give intros when it makes sense.
Step 3: Don’t expect your early hires to carry the weight
Employees, even if they are really great, aren’t cofounders. They won’t share your risk tolerance or your emotional stakes. And, actually, that’s totally okay. Your job is to lead, focus them, and make execution simple.
Instead of complaining about stress or an uncertain runway, build clarity. For example, write short runbooks (how support works, how to qualify a lead, and how launches go), and set goals that feel realistic but motivating.
Step 4: Focus on the real problem, not just the product
Start building only when you’re sure the problem is sharp and budgeted for. It helps to write out the job-to-be-done: What’s the pain? What triggers it? What are people doing now to solve it?
When you do share your idea, keep it light and show a few Figma screens or a short Loom video. If half the people you talk to want early access or ask about pricing, that’s your signal.
Only then build an MVP (minimum viable product) that you can deliver manually.
Step 5: Choose one growth motion and stick with it
The temptation to try everything can haunt you (outbound, content, LinkedIn, PLG, etc.) But don’t give in to it; try to pick one channel and commit for at least 12 weeks.
If it’s content: publish weekly, post short versions on socials, capture emails.
If it’s outbound: narrow ICP, personalize, follow up.
If it’s PLG (product-led growth): make your onboarding smooth, and add simple nudges to upgrade.
You’ll also need to track one thing: activation → retention → revenue.
And yes, AI can help draft support docs, prep research briefs, even stitch together early builds. But it won’t replace your judgment; that’s why you use it to tighten your loops, but not to run your business.
So, when to start searching for a cofounder?
Adding a cofounder is a big decision, and it only makes sense if it gives you an immediate edge. That could mean faster execution, stronger technical depth, or more credibility in front of customers or investors. If the value isn’t clear right now, it’s usually better to wait.
There are a few situations where bringing someone on early really helps:
✅ If you’re building deep tech you can’t realistically own solo. ✅ If you’re launching a two-sided marketplace and both sides require a heavy lift upfront. ✅ If you’re selling into large enterprises, and they expect a counterpart with senior commercial experience.
Thinking about selling your company or getting acquired? We can help.
In those cases, having a cofounder may actually speed you up.
But if you’ve already validated the problem, have a clear product wedge, and can get to meaningful early revenue with fractional help, hold off. Don’t bring on a cofounder just because it feels emotionally easier or because investors “expect it.” That kind of pressure leads to rushed decisions and messy dynamics down the line.
Final thoughts
Being a solo founder means doing things differently. You’re moving fast, making the calls, and carrying the weight. And if you’re doing it right, the business moves with you.
Of course, you don’t need to have all the answers on day one. But if you’re starting to think about fundraising, you’ll need a sharp story, a product people care about, and signs of real momentum.
If you’re getting close (early traction, some users, a repeatable motion), we can help you package it in a way that lands. At Waveup, we’ve worked with various founders across multiple verticals and stages, and we do know what investors expect to see in your pitch to make them say “yes.”
If it sounds relevant, let’s talk.
FAQs
What is a solo founder?
A solo founder is someone who starts a startup alone. It doesn’t mean they do everything by themselves forever. It just means they’re the only founder at the start.
Who are famous solo founders?
Actually, there are plenty. Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Melanie Perkins (Canva, started solo before bringing on others), and Pieter Levels (Nomad List) are all great examples. The main thing here is that you don’t always need a cofounder to build something big (you just need real traction).
Do solo founders secure funding?
Yes, but it can be harder. Investors tend to see more risk when there’s only one person at the top. That said, solo founders still raise capital all the time. The bar is just higher: you’ll need clear proof of progress, such as traction, users, revenue, or a sharp plan for how you’ll scale.
How can I reduce decision fatigue as a solo founder?
Try to keep things simple. Use frameworks (e.g. “What’s reversible vs. not?”), set clear rules like, “If X isn’t true by Y, we move on.”, and talk to a small circle of trusted peers or investor-friends.
How many cofounders can a company have?
Actually, there’s no legal limit in most places, but practically speaking, 2–3 cofounders are the most common. If you bring more than that, it can get harder to make decisions quickly.